Pendulum scale



Dec. 12, 1950 l.. s. wlLLlAMs 2,533,862

w PENDULUM SCALE Filed March 19. 1946 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Lan/rence J #10W/0m; 4

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 12, 19.50

i? *UNITED STAT Es PATENT OFFICE PENDULUM SCALE Lawrence S. Williams, Toledo, Ohio, assigner to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of N eW'J ersey Application March 19, 1946, Serial No. 655,413

more exacting the importance of removing allv traces of friction becomes much more apparent. Pin connections for dash pots, check links, and

pendulum to indicator connections which had been considered as being satisfactory were found to have too much friction to permit their use in sensitive weighing scales.

. Ball bearings have been used for carrying indicator shafts and in some cases for carrying the levers of a weighing scale. The usual objection to the use of ball bearings for reducing friction, was thecost and the complication in the structure required to satisfactorily mount them.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simplied ball bearing assembly which pro.. vides the antifriction characteristics of a ball bearing without increasing the cost or complication of the weighing scale.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple ball bearing assembly which'may be constructed as an integral part of the weighing scale mechanism. A still further object of the invention is to providea simple ball bearing assembly which presents a maximum load carrying capacity fora given outside diameter. f

These and other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description'in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings. The improved bearing in its preferred form consists of a plurality of bearing balls contained within a counterbore in one of the members to be pivotally connected and a cone pointed screw supported in the other member with its conical surface contacting the bearing balls. If the member containing the counterbore can be hardened and the periphery of the counterbore can be ground, the balls may be carried directly in the counterbore and held therein by a spring clamp forming an annular guard across the mouth of the counterbore. However, if the member is soit it may be necessary to use a hardened liner between the balls and the wall of the counterbore.

A portion of a weighing scale mechanism containing thesimplifed ball bearing is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

. Figure I is ay front elevation of an automatic load counterbalancing and indicating mechanism cia weighing scale.

. Figure II is an enlarged fragmentary `side elevation of a portion of the weighing mechanism as seen from the line II-II of Figure I.

1 Claim. (Cl. 265-62) Figure III is an enlarged fragmentary detail, partly in section, of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure II.

Figure IV is a vertical section as seen from line IV-IV of Figure III.

Figure V is afragmentary end elevation as seen from the line V--V of Figure III.

Figure VI is a fragmentary section of an alternative form of the improved ball bearing assembly.

Figure VII is a fragmentary section of another modication of theinvention.

These specific gures and the accompanying -description are intended merely to illustrate the invention and are not intended to impose limita'- tions on the claim.

Load forces to be counterbalanced and indicated are transmitted from a load receiver through a lever mechanism, not shown, to a steelyard rod I suspended from a stirrup 2 containing a V-bearing 3 which rests on a load pivot 4 of a pendulum lever 5. rIhe pendulumlever 5 is fulcrumed on a V-bearing 6 that is mounted in a bracket secured to the interior of the rim of a substantially watchcase shaped'housing 8.

The pendulum lever 5 has a power pivot 9 engaging a V-'bearing ID held in 'a stirrup Il suspended from a short steelyard rod l2. A yoke i3 secured to the top of the short steelyard rod I2 is carried by a pair of steel ribbons I4 whose upper ends overlie and are secured to power sectors l5 of a pair of floating pendulum assemblies I6. Each pendulum assembly I8 has fulcrum sectors I1 attached to and arranged to roll up fulcrum ribbons IB Whose upper ends are attached to the sides of a generally rectangular elongated frame i9 secured in a vertical position in the watchcase shaped housing 8.

When the loads are applied thro-ugh the pendulumvlever' 5 to the steel ribbons I4 they cause the pendulum assemblies I6 to roll upwardly along the sides of the frame I9 and to swing their counterbalance weights 20 upwardly and outwardly until the increased moment of the counter weights 20 counterbalances the load forces applied through the steel ribbons I4.

The average upward motion of the pendulum assemblies IB is transmitted through compensating bars 2| and a shock absorbing spring 22 to a rack 23 which meshes with a pinion 24 secured to an lindicator shaft 25. The movement so transmitted through the rack 'and pinion turns an indicator'Zt` through increments of angle that are directly proportional toincrements of load applied to the load receiver. YAn index tip 21 of the indicator 26 cooperates with a series of indicia 28 printed or otherwise inscribed on an annular chart 29 mounted within the watchcase shaped housing 8.

The compensating bars 2| are carried at each end on compensating bar yokes 30. Cone pointed screws 3| and 32 threaded through the ends of the the yoke; 311*` engage the.. ends. of asector shaft 33 of the pendulum assembly I6. The corre pointed screw 32 carries a locking nut 34 so that clearance between the screws and the ends of the sector shaft 33 may be adjusted.

The ends of the compensating bars 2l have ears 35 (see Figures III andV). whichengage the sides of the legs of the yoke 38 to loosely hold it'. in an upright position.

In the preferred form of the invention each end of the sector shaft 33 isv provided with acounterbore 36 in which a number of bearing balls 31 are located. The sides and bottom of the. counterbore are hardened and. ground` to provide a raceway, for the bearing balls 31;". The balls 31', enough to ll the counterbore, are held" in place by aspring slip 38having formedv fingers 39 adapted to snap intoan annular groove 40. cut in the periphery of the sector shaft. 33. adi jacent its end. The-conepointed screws. 3l' andv 32. are adjusted intheyoke 310. so that. their cone points extend through holes 4I. in the spring. covers 38 and engage the bearing balls 31`on the; conicalportions of the screws. Thecone. points of the screws 3| and. 32 aremade with an; in,- cludecl angle of approximately 60 degrees for. oonvenience iny manufacture and. for securing substantial strength adjacent thev ends of the screws. In the preferred embodiment of invention shown. in' Figures II, III, and IV, ve bearingfballs', are placed.y in each of the counterbores. The space leftin the center, the space usually occupiedby the inner race of al ball bear-ing, is too small to admita shaft whose diameter is evenV equal-to. the diameter `of the balls. Forthis reasona cone pointis used so that adequate strength is maintained. in thescrew rightup-tothe point. of contact with the balls.

A 60 degree angle for the cone point. is much too steep to provide' theoreticallycorrect rolling-I actiony when the balls` are confined in. a counter` bore whosebottom is perpendiculanto; the axis of the shaft and whose-sides are parallel to the axis: However, the difference in' performance between" acone having the theoretically correct angle anda 60 degree coneis negligible in'soffar as" friction is concerned, -because thecballslmay: pivot on their points of contact. with the coneat the Sametime as they roll'around the cone. Ina rollerv bearing where such apivoting action is impossible, the cones must be precisely correct or4 the' bearing willl develop very high friction;

This preferred formiof constructionprovidesvas very economical andsimpl'e antifriction bearing for.' use in a limited'space.

. FigureV shows a modification which. may be= thev stepped: holez 41 byfa split retainer: 58'. The

ballV bearing assemblydsbacked up by a resilient cushionl 5| so thatwhen` subjected to heavy loadsitinay compressthecushionl 5l and thereby lower: theendY of thel cone pointedscrew 42 against-the split retainer 50 andthus'relieve'thebearing balls and the cone point of excessive load. The normal clearance between theA holein the :retainer: 58 andthe' straight portion" of' thecone -pointedfscrew 48. iss made; quite: small. so; that: little: travel of'v the.y

ball bea-ring racev 48 against theresilientcushion 5l is' requiredtounload. orirelieve the ball bearing of excessive load.

Another modication of the improved bearing is illustrated in Figure VII. In this example a compensating bar yoke 52 is threaded to receive a conev pointed screwI 53 which is held in adjusted position. by a1 locked nut 54. A compensating bar 55 is carried on a straight portion 56 of the screw 53. A sector shaft 51, in this example made of al gradey of steel which cannot be satisfactorily hardened has a counterbore 58 cut in the end thereof. The bottom of the counterbore is lined. with a. thin hardenedsteel-disk 58 which isheld' in place by a hardened'steelliner',v EDfwhich in turn is secured in place by an annular. thread.;` ed member GI screwed' into the end. off the. counterbore 58. The hardenedsteelidisljnd" the hardened steel liner 88 form the cute race; for a plurality of, bearing balls S2. Arriniv,artlfy` directed shoulder 63 of the annular threaded member 6|` holds the balls in positionuwithl binding them against rolling action..V The. c pointed end of the screw 53. extends, througl'i .thl annular threaded member 6I.- andi rests onA bearing. balls 82. This c`onstructioriv is. to that shown in the' rst example. except'. that'. the hardened steel linersare used. in, lieu., of( hardening the end of" the sector shaft andfgr ing the inside surfaces of the counterbore` Theja e nular threaded member BI isv a possible. substitute for the spring clip 38, although itfisl more. expensive to make.v

The improved'l ball bearingv assemblies shw these examples provide an. economical SatSfa-Ctoiy method' for. overcoming friction.. bea tween scale parts which. are not. `subjected!t unusually heavy loads.

Various modifications. of the structure'.- s'hf may be devised to meet the requirements ofi` specific installations without departing. from the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention... I claim.:y

In a pendulumfor a weighing scale,.in come bination, a. pendulum assembly having; al first.`

sector to which loadr force is applied, a: second?" sector that engages ribbons` by whichtheasseinibly is supported and an. axl'eflike member. ex.- tending laterally of. the assembly, said.` axle-like member having, a counterbo're irreach.. endlconv centric with respect to the center of thgsec'ond' sector and having. a rim extending radially from each end of the member, a plurality of' bearing balls contained' in each counterbor'e,,anapertured' closure for eachv counterbore that is held inv place" by fingers engaging the radially extending, rim'.. and a yoke supported on the pendulum esserne' bly by inwardly directed conical points` thateri` gage the bearing balls in each counterbore; said"V yoke serving as a connectionbetween th'epe'ndiilum and load indicating mechanism.

LAwRENCns. wnrilmlvis;v

REFERENCES. CITED The following references areI or. recorfdfV in the" l'e of this patent:

NITED STATES PATENTs 

